Taking Him Down
by PaladinTersias
Summary: Samonosuke has had no time to think about any sort of love- until he meets Kotaro. But how long can love last in the midst of a war against Demons? Onimusha fanfic, contains Yaoi. I do not own the game or characters.
1. Search

**Hey there, folks. This here is an Onimusha fanfic, which shouldn't be surprising considering that's in the summary. I do not claim these characters as my own, they belong to Capcom, if I remember correctly. The writing is all mine, though, and I hope you enjoy reading!**

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Samonosuke Akechi was an exceptional fighter. Even when it seemed he would die, he managed to scrape out of his battles. It was no different when the Ogre king bestowed upon him the Oni Gauntlet, and hordes of Genma warriors challenged him. It took him nearly a year to slice and dice his way to the Genma lord, Fortinbras, the first time. Unfortunately for him, his defeat of Fortinbras was not a defeat at all, and the Genma Lord's spirit escaped and he rebuilt himself.

Samonosuke didn't find out about Fortinbras again until after another warrior, Jubei Yagyu defeated the demon lord, Nobunaga. Or, so it seemed. Defeating the demon lord would not be such a simple task, especially with the Genma lord by his side. Samonosuke –one of the greatest warriors alive- needed help, badly, and while he rested from his battles, and let his wounds heal, he found just that.

* * *

The morning air bit at Samonosuke's face as he sauntered down the Yagyu Village shop strip. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, which was sheathed in its scabbard on his left hip. Slung across his back was his quiver, which was filled with several different types of arrows, and his longbow. His hair was pulled up into a neat ponytail.

Eyes scanned his figure as he walked. They were probably gauging his fighting abilities, or wondering where he came from and how he got such high-quality armor. He honestly didn't care what they thought, though- he didn't have time to care about such little things. Nobunaga and Fortinbras were, no doubt, planning something big, and he had to stop them.

He stopped in front of a small tavern, which sat just next to an even smaller shop. He made a note to himself to check what the shopkeeper carried before he left the village. He returned his gaze to the tavern, sighed, and stepped in.

Now Samonosuke was a hard man to surprise, considering he had been thrown into a war against demons without an ounce of warning. The years had made him strong, mentally and physically, and he liked that. But when he stepped into that tavern, he noticed three things that managed to surprise him. There were only three men there, one of the men was a ninja, and that ninja was the sexiest man he had laid eyes on since he had time to make such an observation.

Clearing his throat, he took another step toward the men, who either didn't notice him, or were ignoring him. He opened his mouth to speak, but quicker than the words could form; a gun was pointed at his face. His eyes widened and he stumbled back, pulling his sword from its sheath. Raizan was its name, and it possessed the power of lightning.

"Magoichi, stop." The ninja said, looking up from what appeared to be some sort of card game. The gun-wielder snorted and lowered the gun, but didn't move from his spot. Samonosuke kept his sword at the ready, but allowed himself to relax. It was then that the man burst into laughter, clutching at his stomach. The other two did the same, though the ninja wasn't nearly as loud as the other two.

"Ekei, did you see his face?" Magoichi said between chuckles. "He looked like he was going to piss himself! If there's one surefire way to scare a samurai, it's to point a gun at his face!" Ekei was a larger man, who sat shirtless, a spear at his side. He roared with laughter, slapping his knee and looking between the ninja and Magoichi.

"Priceless. Don't you agree, Kotaro?" Ekei's gaze went to the ninja, who nodded, with a little less enthusiasm. That was reassuring to Samonosuke. He didn't have the same sick sense of humor as the others. Pointing a gun at his face may have been a 'surefire way to scare a samurai', but it was foolish and could have gotten Magoichi killed. Samonosuke sheathed his sword.

"Are those all of your tricks, or should I just leave?" he asked, his expression serious. The men stopped laughing, and their expressions were similar, though almost offended. He expected one of them to say, "What, you don't like our tricks?" but they kept silent. Taking this as his cue to speak, he cleared his throat once more. "This is of utter importance. I come to ask for your assistance. I'm sure you've heard of Nobunaga-"

Kotaro stood up quicker than Samonosuke could have imagined, and the ninja got so close to him that he felt his chest tighten. His expression was unreadable as he studied Samonosuke, who was rather confused. "I knew I had seen you before. You're Samonosuke Akechi. You defeated Fortinbras some years ago, right?"

"That is true- I did. Or, I thought I did at least. He and Nobunaga have been reincarnated, and they must be stopped. I've looked all over for warriors strong enough to help." He flicked his gaze past Kotaro, sucking in a breath. He wished the ninja would move away, because it was hard for him to stand there like that, so close to something he was sure he would like.

Ekei stood. "Why'd you come to us?"

"To be honest, when I stepped in here, I had no idea who you guys were. But now that I know, I need your help. I've heard stories of your accomplishments." Samonosuke said, his gaze steady as he looked over the three. At a first glance, they looked almost useless, but Magoichi's quick movements had almost convinced him that these were no ordinary warriors. The stories he had heard were also on their side.

"Do you honestly think we'll help you?" Magoichi wasn't looking at Samonosuke, but rather at the entrance of the tavern, when he spoke. Samonosuke followed his gaze, and when he saw nothing, he looked back. Kotaro had moved over to Mago, and was whispering something in his ear.

"I can always go elsewhere. I'm not forcing you to help. Though, consider this- If you know you're capable of helping me defeat the demon lord Nobunaga the Genma lord Fortinbras, and you don't take the opportunity, it's on your conscience and not mine. If you're not going to help, tell me, because I really must be off to look for someone who will." The others seemed to be ignoring him, as they kept whispering amongst themselves, and Ekei had joined in.

"Fine, I'll leave then."

"Woah, hold it right there, samurai." Ekei said, grabbing Samonosuke by the wrist and pulling him closer. "You assume we're ignoring you. Has it occurred to you that maybe we're discussing whether or not we should help you?" They resumed their whispering, and Samonosuke stood there, a little dumbfounded. It had not, in fact, occurred to him that they were discussing it. He felt stupid that it hadn't, but justified his quick, thoughtless reactions with that fact that he needed help quickly, and they weren't being quick at all.

It was a while before anyone spoke to him. He had taken a seat at a far table, away from the others. Away from Kotaro, who occasionally glanced over at him. He waited in silence; long, thoughtful silence. Until finally, the three came to his table. They wore half-smiles, and Samonosuke's heart skipped a beat. They were going to join him.

"I see you've already concluded that we'll be helping you." Magoichi said, his hand on the hilt of his gun. "But we want something in return. One-thousand gold each, as well as something rare on the journey. I like to learn." He pointed at his head, his grin widening. Ekei spoke up next.

"I like exotic foods and drinks. You find something that looks interesting and I'd be glad to try it. Not eggs though." He laughed, a loud, hearty laugh, and then Kotaro spoke.

"I love gadgets and knick-knacks from different countries. I also like birds…"

Samonosuke couldn't help but smile. Sure, their requests were a little odd. But they were far from impossible to fulfill, and he even had plenty of gold on him to pay in advance. The journey to Nobunaga would not be a fast one, considering new types of Genma appeared each day, so that gave him time to find the rare artifacts the men wanted. He bowed to each, and hoped the others didn't notice that the one directed at Kotaro was deeper.

"Thank you."


	2. Visit

Samonosuke spent the night at the tavern. The top floor was his hotel- a large, open room with a balcony that overlooked Yagyu village. He wondered where the others stayed, for they didn't seem like the kind to stay in one place for too long, but he didn't lose sleep over it.

He did, however, lose sleep over thoughts of Kotaro. It almost annoyed him that he was allowing himself to develop any sort of feelings for anyone, let alone a ninja he had never seen before. He knew he had more important things to do, one of which was sleep, so he could stay rested for his battles, but he could not stop thinking about the man.

It had to be around three in the morning when he heard footsteps. They were about halfway up the steps, so he had time to roll away from the stairwell and grab his sword. He kept it down, at his side, but he was still more than ready to attack if the need presented itself.

A sigh escaped his lips when he saw who it was. Though, it didn't exactly make him feel too much better- It was Kotaro. What was he doing there, so late?

"Come with me, Samonosuke. Let us talk." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. Samonosuke was about to say something in protest, but then decided against it. He stood, leaving his sword where it lay, and followed Kotaro out to the balcony. If he hadn't felt awkward before, he did now.

"Do you ever get lonely on your travels?" the ninja asked, crossing his arms over the balcony railing, looking out into the darkness that was night. Samonosuke did the same, but he kept his distance. "I mean, I've only ever heard of you fighting with that Kaede girl, and I heard she didn't make it out of the fight with Fortinbras. I sometimes get lonely, even though I travel with Magoichi and Ekei, because they tend to ignore me. Until, of course, I bail them out of a battle." He shifted his gaze slowly, so slowly, to Samonosuke.

The bit about Kaede hit him particularly hard. He hadn't talked about her since he lost her, because it was far too painful. But he didn't say anything about it- he didn't want to get angry over something the ninja couldn't possibly have known. Without looking at the other, because he feared if their gazes met he would do something rash, he replied, "I do. But I don't have time to whine about it. Defeating Nobu-"

Kotaro frowned. "Everything is Nobunaga or Fortinbras. Sometimes you have to take a break, Samonosuke. You've done more than enough good to deserve more than to alienate yourself and ignore your feelings." But Samonosuke was a stubborn man, who was very hard to convince. Especially when the Demon and Genma lords were out, plotting.

"If I take the time out to think about myself, I'm risking too much. Until Nobunaga is stopped, I won't feel right doing that." He glanced at Kotaro, who was looking out over the balcony again. "Though, sometimes, I wish I could." His gaze went over to the ninja, who happened to be staring at him. His expression held some degree of disappointment, but there was also a hint of something else. Before he could piece together what it was, Kotaro was close enough to his face to make Samonosuke blush.

"I can help you with that, Samonosuke Akechi." He grinned. Was that lust tangled in the words? Samonosuke did not know. In fact, he didn't have much time to think about it, because just then, Kotaro pressed his lips so firmly against the samurai's that his mind went elsewhere. When the ninja pulled away, Samonosuke came crashing back to reality, which made him feel completely and utterly alone.

"I couldn't help but notice, when you came into the tavern that your eyes were on me. I would have taken that as someone's surprise to see a ninja. But when I found out it was the legendary Samonosuke, I felt that it was more than just the fact that I was a ninja. You bowed deeper for me, as well." He chuckled.

"I…" Samonosuke was at a loss for words. He was that transparent?

"I'm a ninja. I was born to perceive, move, kill faster. I can tell when someone likes or dislikes something before they do. These little perks that come from being a ninja come in handy. Especially when you're in the midst of one of the only people you have ever really admired." It was his turn to blush, a deep, adorable red. Samonosuke could still not find his words, but Kotaro didn't seem to mind.

"It'll be morning soon. Magoichi is always the first up, besides me. And it doesn't seem he likes you much. I should probably go, because he's taken a fatherly position over me, though he's the one who needs fathering." Kotaro rolled his eyes. "I'll come here every night before we depart, if that's okay with you." He pressed another electrifying kiss to Samonosuke's lips, and then he was gone.

Samonosuke didn't get an ounce of sleep. He went back into the room, grabbed his sword, and leaned against the wall near the stairwell. His fingers traced absent paths along the blade of the sword, as he thought Kotaro. He hadn't realized he was that perceptive and almost wished the ninja wasn't. Things had moved quickly, and though he wasn't exactly complaining, he almost wished there was more leading up to what had happened.

When the sun poked through the windows, he heard footsteps on the stairs again. This time, it was Magoichi. "Wake up, Samurai. We have things to do today, and since we're joining you, I figure we should take you on one of our sweeps so you can see how we work."

Samonosuke smiled and grunted as he stood. "Fair enough. Where are we headed?"

Magoichi walked away without an answer, though when the man hit the bottom stair, Samonosuke was certain he said, "You'll see when we get there."


	3. Gold Mine

Most of the morning was spent suiting up for battle. Ekei wore mostly fur and leather armor. His forearms and shins were the only exception, and they were covered by thin plate metal. Magoichi wore similar attire, but his was stiffer and seemed more protective. Samonosuke figured the only reason Ekei wore such light armor was because his weight didn't allow for wearing metal plates. Kotaro dressed in thin, weightless cloth that allowed for comfortable running. The only non-cloth thing that Samonosuke noticed was the metal plating on his forearms.

His dress, after seeing the others, seemed a little over the top. He wore metal-plated pauldrons, a leather chest-protector, metal-plated shin-guards, and knee-high leather boots. Underneath his chest armor was a thin layer of chain mail. The others didn't seem to notice, or even care, that his armor was heavier, though, as they said not a word about it.

When they finished breakfast, which consisted of sticky rice and smoked salmon, they headed out, Magoichi in the lead. The man walked with a strong, confident air about him, his gun in hand. Samonosuke was hardly focused enough on Magoichi to make such an observation himself- his eyes were on Kotaro.

"Samonosuke." Magoichi said suddenly, half turning to stare at the samurai. "We work as a team here. What I'm about to explain to you is how we stand if we are ambushed, or overwhelmed by the enemies. Ekei is my spearsman, and he can attack from long distances." He stopped and turned fully around, eyes glued to Samonosuke's. "He stays near the front, though, were he can keep the flow of enemies in check. Ekei, show him where you stand." The large man nodded and moved forward, so he was just in front of the others. He held his spear in a jokingly menacing fashion.

"Kotaro is obviously the ninja, so while he is part of the team, you will rarely see him in the group. He travels the trees and shadows, and uses kunai and shuriken to take out his foes. On occasion, Kotaro will bring a katana and fight right with us, but we'll show you how that works another day. Kotaro." Magoichi nodded toward the ninja, who nodded back. Finding the closest tree, he climbed up, almost too fast for Samonosuke to notice. He gave a giggle from the cover of the leaves. Magoichi continued.

"I am a gunsman, so I stay far back. My aim never fails, and I've never missed a kill. My gun is also, " He held the gun up to point out the long blade attached to the barrel, "equipped with this blade, in case enemies make it back to me." He put the gun back down at his side, and continued.

"You… will be next to Ekei in the front lines. Since you are a swordsman, which is fairly short range, you'll be very important to the team. I know right now it sounds like none of us help each other, but we do. You'll see." And with that, Magoichi turned and walked toward their destination, Kotaro jumped silently down from the tree, and Ekei and Samonosuke followed.

It wasn't long after the explanation that their destination was revealed- an abandoned gold mine. Or, it looked abandoned anyway. Ekei stopped everyone for a moment, most likely to explain to Samonosuke why it was abandoned. "Before Jubei Yagyu died, and before Jubei even became an Oni warrior for that matter, he lived in this village. One summer, after a battle in a far off country, he returned here, and a man ran up to him and yelled, "I've struck gold! I'm rich!" The happiness was short-lived, and the man collapsed, dead. The greedy villagers stepped on and over his body to get to the chunks of gold. Soon after, the mine was open to anyone who had a permit. However, every single man who went in died, mutilated beyond recognition. People stopped going. They were done being greedy, because the spirits were getting angry and killing off their family. As you've probably concluded, they weren't spirits at all, but rather the Genma." Ekei signaled that it was okay to continue.

"We've swept the mine more times than you can count on your fingers and toes, but the Genma always come back. We have yet to find what brings them back, but perhaps with the greatest warrior on our team, that will change." Kotaro said, as they neared the entrance.

"You mean me?" Magoichi said, unable to hold in his laughter. "Go ahead Kotaro; keep to the shadows and may the spirits be with you." He bowed to the ninja, who glanced quickly at Samonosuke, before sprinting silently into the dark mine. "Samonosuke, Ekei, go ahead." And they obeyed, Samonosuke walking cautiously into darkness. Ekei didn't seem to mind, but then, the man had swept the place many, many times.

"And I'll just go right on in, then." Magoichi said, to himself, as he stepped in.

Now, Samonosuke was half-expecting a horde of Genma warriors to burst through a wall, or jump from the ceiling, but for the longest time, there was only darkness and the sound of their footsteps. Though he never let his guard completely down, Samonosuke loosened up a bit, and his cautious steps turned into normal steps, and those turned into quick, careless steps. Ekei grabbed his shoulder at one point, scaring him. "Slow down. The last thing you want is to attract a large group. These aren't your normal undead-samurai Genma, Samonosuke."

Samonosuke didn't speed up again, after that. His heart leapt, though, when the sound of metal against metal broke the silence that had begun to form. The sound came from ahead, and suddenly the three men slowed, walking as silently as possible. When they rounded a corner, they weren't at all surprised to see two Genma warriors. They were almost bug- like, with four legs that were tipped with three toe-like stingers each, the torso of a human, and the face of a mantis. Each wielded a short-spear, whose handles were ornately decorated. They seemed to be bickering.

"Two is a piece of cake. Ekei, show Samonosuke here how you use that spear of yours." Magoichi whispered. Ekei nodded and tip-toed toward the Genma, spear at the ready. Before he could strike, though, they noticed him and let out a high pitched battle-cry raising their spears. When Samonosuke tried to move forward to help, Magoichi stopped him. "He can take care of himself, you know. Don't underestimate us, Akechi, or we might not be so ready to help." He returned his gaze to Ekei, who had an venormous grin on his face. With two swift thrusts of his spear, the Genma were dead.

Their bodies fell to the ground, dissolved, and released two souls. The gauntlet on Samonosuke's arm glowed momentarily, and then the souls were sucked in. Ekei sauntered back, the same grin on his face. "Piece of cake." He said, confirming Magoichi's previous statement. "Let's get going again. That battle cry will surely have attracted something."


End file.
